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March 29, 1979 - BLADE - 11
VOL. 10, NO. 7 A PUBLICATION FOR THE GAY COMMUNITY MARCH 29, 1979
Frederick, Md., Gays Surface
College Group
Ignites Protests
by Larry Bush
Official recognition of a Hood College
Gay Allies group has set off a round of pro­tests
from fellow students and ·from a local
fundamentalist church group that now
wants all Gay students expelled from the
small Frederick. Md. college.
Pickets, led by Joe Bane. pastor of the
Francis Sco.tt Key 'Bible Church. are form­ing
a weekly protest outside the college gates
with signs reading. "Expel the Lesbians." In
a front page story in The Frederick Ne1rs­Post,
Bane told reporters. "Leviticus in the
Old Testament states that such pe'ople
should receive the death penalty."
. Bane also has carried his protest through
advertisments in the Nell"s-Post, calling on
Hood students to "demand the dismissal of
all militant queers from Hood College."
Students at the nearly all female liberal
arts college have mounted their own protest
against the student senate. which approved
May 1 Special Election
official recognition of the group. Although
the decision to grant official status to .Gay
Allies was delayed a week to permit student
reaction and was preceded by a 90 minute
debate with nearly 100 students attending.
disgrunted students now are circulating peti­tions
calling for a student referendum on the
group's charter.
College president Martha Church and
school officials. aside from issuing a state­ment
saying, "one of our concerns is to pro­tect
the rights of each of our students." are
carefully maintaining a neutral stance in the
debate. terming it a "student issue, at this
point." Officials say they will not revoke the
group's charter as a result of community
pressure. however.
Lynn Johnson. founder of the Gay Allies.
told The Blade that her group formed at the
college last fall without official sanction. but
Continued on page 12 Rev. Bane and foliowers protesting Hood College Gay group;
photo by Mac Rose
-Stein Club Endorses Candidates
by Lou Chibbaro, Jr:
· The Gertrude Stein Democratic Club has
endorsed at-large candidate John Ray and
Ward 4 candidate Barry Campbell for two
city council seats up for grabs in a special
city-wide election scheduled for May I.
Officials of the Gay Democratic club pre­dict
the endorsements will have a "great
impact" on the outcome of the special elec-photo
by Jaff Dugan
Stein Club President Tom Bastow (I.) and
Stein-endorsed council-at-large candidate
John Ray (r.).
tion because relatively few D.C. voters are
expected to turn out at the polls.
"Our goal is to unify the Gay community
behind these two candidat~s and to get out
the Gay vote on election day." .said club
President Tom Bastow.
The election was called to fill vacancies on
the council last November when then at­largc
councilm~mbcr Marion Barry was
elected mayor and Ward 4 councilmember
Arrington Dixon was elected council
chalrman.
Along with the endorsements. Stein Club
members voted to contribute $500 to Ray's
campaign and $400 to Campbell's7 In addi­tion,
the club has pledged to provide volun­teer
workers to both candidates. initiate a
publicity campaign for the .candidates within
the Gay community. and organize a get-out­the-
vote drive on election day.
"I'm very pleased about it. very happy to
get it." said a smiling John Ray as he entered
the club meeting room March 15 at the Fra­ternity
House. a bar near Dupont Circle.
Ray said he expected to get some criticism
for supporting Gay rights but noted he isn't
"too concerned" about this . ·
Campbell. who was waiting at the bar out­side
the meeting room while the club deliber­ated,
later told the group he viewed the
endorsement as his "first major break."
The Ward 4 candidate. who is not consi­dered
the front runner in the contest. told
. club members: "Last year you based your
selection for mayor on ·the best candidate
and not on who was the front runner. I think
you did the same ·thing again tonight.-..
The Stein Club's endorsements followed
by one week a candidates forum sponsored
jointly by Stein. the Gay Activists Alliance.
the National Organization for Women. the
D.C. Coaliton of Black Lesbians and Gay
Men. and the D.C. Arca Feminist Alliance.
Seven candidates vying for the Ward4 scat
and seven vying for the at-large post spoke at
the forum.
Almost all made appeals to the Gay
audience for support. claiming an interest in
civil and human rights for "all citizens."
Stein Club members said Ray and Camp-­bell
stood out among the 26 other candidates ·
running against them because cach hada
"proven record" of support for Gay rights
issues while the others' "could only make
promises."
'.
According to Bastow. club members were
impressed by Campbell's dealings with the
Gay community while he served as a staff
aide to Councilmember Arrington Dixon.
Bastow said Ray. during his brief tenure as
an appointee to the at-large seat he is seeking
in the election. has supported all actions
deemed important to the Gay community.
including a clause in the enabling legislation
for the Initiative. Referendum and Recall
Act which would prevent a repeal of the
p.C, Human_ Rights law protecting Gays.
Several club members cxprcsscd rcscrYa­tions
about an .endorsement of Ray. citing
the candidate's support of Douglas Moore
· for the council chairman's scat in last ycar's
election. Moore. a vocal opponcnt of Gay
rights. oncc threatened to organize an initia­tive
campaign to repeal the D.C. Gay rights
protections.
When asked at the candidatc forum why
he supported Moorc. Ray said hc agrccd -
Continued on page 1 2
Referendum Protection . '
Finally-Passes
by Larry Bush
An Anita Bryant-style referendum on Gay
rights was finally forestalled as the D.C. City
Council gave its approval to a ban on popu­lar
votes on human rights at its March 27
session.
The ban. included in the Initiative. Refer­endum
and Recall Enabling Act. had been
sought by Gay leaders sincc thc bill was
introduced in the spring of 1978. Contnn-­ersy
over the ban and later oYcr a thrc<Wof a
referendum on a proposed convention cen­ter.
had stalled Council action until last
week. \
"You could say that the City Charter now ·
throws a protective cloa·k around Ciay
rights." Cade Ware. a lcadcr in thc prohibi­tion
effort. said . "Now if-a rcfcrcndum or
initiati,·c against Gays wcrc sought. thc city
\\·ill fon·c to go to court to prc\cnt it from
taking placc."
Passagc oft hc protcct iYc prm·isions int hc
Enabling Act had bccn.a major Gay priority
-,ind had hccomc a political litmus tcst for
candidatcs sccking Gay support in the past
clcctioi. In thc final vote tally. which was
unanimous in fanir of thc act. support for
thc ban on anti-Gay rights rcfcrcnda was
ohscurcd as a rcsult of thc continuing eon­\'
cntion ccntcr contrn\·crsy. No mcntion was
madc of thc human righ.ts protcctions in
passing thc bill.
Mayor Marion Harry. who has supported
thc human rights nllc han hut thrcatcncd to
veto t hc bill if it wcrc to pcrmit a Cllll\ .:nt ion
ccntcr Yotc. is cxpcctcd to sign thc bill. his
lcgislativc aidc said.
E\cn aftcr signing. howc\cr. thL' hill will
facc a court challcngc from conYcntion cen­tcr
opponents. · Ohscn·crs said that prm i­sions
of thc hill hanning human rights\ otcs
prohahly would not . bc a!Tcctcd hy such a
challcngc. since it would rclatc only to a pro-'
\ision dcalinl! with a comention ccntcr \Ole
ban. ad~kd t:1 thc hill at thc last minutc:
/

March 29, 1979 - BLADE - 11
VOL. 10, NO. 7 A PUBLICATION FOR THE GAY COMMUNITY MARCH 29, 1979
Frederick, Md., Gays Surface
College Group
Ignites Protests
by Larry Bush
Official recognition of a Hood College
Gay Allies group has set off a round of pro­tests
from fellow students and ·from a local
fundamentalist church group that now
wants all Gay students expelled from the
small Frederick. Md. college.
Pickets, led by Joe Bane. pastor of the
Francis Sco.tt Key 'Bible Church. are form­ing
a weekly protest outside the college gates
with signs reading. "Expel the Lesbians." In
a front page story in The Frederick Ne1rs­Post,
Bane told reporters. "Leviticus in the
Old Testament states that such pe'ople
should receive the death penalty."
. Bane also has carried his protest through
advertisments in the Nell"s-Post, calling on
Hood students to "demand the dismissal of
all militant queers from Hood College."
Students at the nearly all female liberal
arts college have mounted their own protest
against the student senate. which approved
May 1 Special Election
official recognition of the group. Although
the decision to grant official status to .Gay
Allies was delayed a week to permit student
reaction and was preceded by a 90 minute
debate with nearly 100 students attending.
disgrunted students now are circulating peti­tions
calling for a student referendum on the
group's charter.
College president Martha Church and
school officials. aside from issuing a state­ment
saying, "one of our concerns is to pro­tect
the rights of each of our students." are
carefully maintaining a neutral stance in the
debate. terming it a "student issue, at this
point." Officials say they will not revoke the
group's charter as a result of community
pressure. however.
Lynn Johnson. founder of the Gay Allies.
told The Blade that her group formed at the
college last fall without official sanction. but
Continued on page 12 Rev. Bane and foliowers protesting Hood College Gay group;
photo by Mac Rose
-Stein Club Endorses Candidates
by Lou Chibbaro, Jr:
· The Gertrude Stein Democratic Club has
endorsed at-large candidate John Ray and
Ward 4 candidate Barry Campbell for two
city council seats up for grabs in a special
city-wide election scheduled for May I.
Officials of the Gay Democratic club pre­dict
the endorsements will have a "great
impact" on the outcome of the special elec-photo
by Jaff Dugan
Stein Club President Tom Bastow (I.) and
Stein-endorsed council-at-large candidate
John Ray (r.).
tion because relatively few D.C. voters are
expected to turn out at the polls.
"Our goal is to unify the Gay community
behind these two candidat~s and to get out
the Gay vote on election day." .said club
President Tom Bastow.
The election was called to fill vacancies on
the council last November when then at­largc
councilm~mbcr Marion Barry was
elected mayor and Ward 4 councilmember
Arrington Dixon was elected council
chalrman.
Along with the endorsements. Stein Club
members voted to contribute $500 to Ray's
campaign and $400 to Campbell's7 In addi­tion,
the club has pledged to provide volun­teer
workers to both candidates. initiate a
publicity campaign for the .candidates within
the Gay community. and organize a get-out­the-
vote drive on election day.
"I'm very pleased about it. very happy to
get it." said a smiling John Ray as he entered
the club meeting room March 15 at the Fra­ternity
House. a bar near Dupont Circle.
Ray said he expected to get some criticism
for supporting Gay rights but noted he isn't
"too concerned" about this . ·
Campbell. who was waiting at the bar out­side
the meeting room while the club deliber­ated,
later told the group he viewed the
endorsement as his "first major break."
The Ward 4 candidate. who is not consi­dered
the front runner in the contest. told
. club members: "Last year you based your
selection for mayor on ·the best candidate
and not on who was the front runner. I think
you did the same ·thing again tonight.-..
The Stein Club's endorsements followed
by one week a candidates forum sponsored
jointly by Stein. the Gay Activists Alliance.
the National Organization for Women. the
D.C. Coaliton of Black Lesbians and Gay
Men. and the D.C. Arca Feminist Alliance.
Seven candidates vying for the Ward4 scat
and seven vying for the at-large post spoke at
the forum.
Almost all made appeals to the Gay
audience for support. claiming an interest in
civil and human rights for "all citizens."
Stein Club members said Ray and Camp-­bell
stood out among the 26 other candidates ·
running against them because cach hada
"proven record" of support for Gay rights
issues while the others' "could only make
promises."
'.
According to Bastow. club members were
impressed by Campbell's dealings with the
Gay community while he served as a staff
aide to Councilmember Arrington Dixon.
Bastow said Ray. during his brief tenure as
an appointee to the at-large seat he is seeking
in the election. has supported all actions
deemed important to the Gay community.
including a clause in the enabling legislation
for the Initiative. Referendum and Recall
Act which would prevent a repeal of the
p.C, Human_ Rights law protecting Gays.
Several club members cxprcsscd rcscrYa­tions
about an .endorsement of Ray. citing
the candidate's support of Douglas Moore
· for the council chairman's scat in last ycar's
election. Moore. a vocal opponcnt of Gay
rights. oncc threatened to organize an initia­tive
campaign to repeal the D.C. Gay rights
protections.
When asked at the candidatc forum why
he supported Moorc. Ray said hc agrccd -
Continued on page 1 2
Referendum Protection . '
Finally-Passes
by Larry Bush
An Anita Bryant-style referendum on Gay
rights was finally forestalled as the D.C. City
Council gave its approval to a ban on popu­lar
votes on human rights at its March 27
session.
The ban. included in the Initiative. Refer­endum
and Recall Enabling Act. had been
sought by Gay leaders sincc thc bill was
introduced in the spring of 1978. Contnn-­ersy
over the ban and later oYcr a thrc